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CONNECTICUT  .  t  AR 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


NE^V    HAVEN,    CONN. 


BULLETIN   191,  APRIL,  1916. 


TESTS   OF  SOY  BEANS,  1915. 

By   E.    H.   JENKINS,  JOHN   PHILLIPS   STREET   AND 
C.    D.    HUBBELL. 


Corn  and  Soy  Beans  at  Mt.  Carmel. 

CONTENTS. 

Page 
Yield  of  Seed  from  new,  unnamed  Varieties 3 

Report  on  named  Varieties  grown  in  1915 4 

Number  of  Days  to  Maturity 5 

Comparison  of  Average  Yields  in  1914  and  1915 5 

Comparison  of  Varieties 6 

Comparison  of  Yield  of  Feed  of  Soy  Beans,  Alfalfa  and  Ensilage 

Corn  and  of  Mixtures 7 

Note  on  Time  of  Planting 8 

Soy  Beans  as  Green  Manure 9 

Results  of  Field  Tests  on  Soy  Beans 9 

Directions  for  planting  Soy  Beans 13 

Soy  Beans  as  Food  for  Diabetics 13 

The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Con- 
necticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  as  far  as  the  editions 
permit. 


CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

OFFICERS  AND  STAFF. 


BOARD  OF  CONTROL. 

His  Excellency,  Marcus  H.  Holcomb,  ex-officio,  President. 

Prof.  H.  W.  Conn,  Vice  President  Middletown 

George  A.  Hopson,  Secretary Wallingford 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven 

Joseph  W.  Alsop  Avon 

Wilson  H.  Lee  Orange 

Frank  H.  Stadtmueller  Elmwood 

James  H.  Webb  Hamden 


Administration.  E.   H.  Jenkins,   Ph.D.,   Director   and   Treasurer. 

Miss  V.  E.   Cole,   Librarian  and  Stenographer. 
Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht,  Bookkeeper  and  Stenographer. 
William  Veitch,  In  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 

Chemistry. 
Analytical  Laboratory.  John   Phillips    Street,    M.S.,    Chemist   in   Charge. 
E.  Monroe  Bailey,  Ph.D.,  C.  B.  Morison,  B.S., 
C.  E.  Shepard,  G.  L.  Davis,  Assistants. 
Hugo  Lange,  Laboratory  Helper. 
V.   L.  Churchill,   Sampling  Agent. 
Miss  E.  B.  Whittlesey,  Stenographer. 


Proteid  Research. 
Botany. 

Entomology. 

Forestry. 

Plant  Breeding. 
Vegetable  Growing. 


T.  B.  Osborne,  Ph.D.,  D.Sc.  Chemist  in  Charge. 
Miss  E.  L.  Ferry,  M.S.,  Assistant. 

G.  P.  Clinton,  Sc.D.,  Botanist. 
E.  M.  Stoddard,  B.S.,  Assistant  Botanist. 
Miss  E.  B.  Whittlesey,  Herbarium  Assistant. 
G.  E.  Graham,  General  Assistant. 

W.  E.  Britton,   Ph.D.,  Entomologist;  State  Entomologist. 

B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr.,  First  Assistant. 

Q.  S.  Lowry,  B.Sc.,  I.  W.  Davis,  B.Sc,  I    .    .  ,     , 
TUT    T.    T  X.  c  (  Assistants.  ■ 

M.  P.  Zappe,  B.S.,  ' 

Miss  G.  A.  Foote,  B.A.,  Stenographer. 

Walter  O.  Filley,  Forester;    also  State  Forester 

and  State  Forest  Fire  Warden. 
A.  E.  Moss,  M.F.,  Assistant  Station  Forester. 
Miss  E.  L.  Avery,  Stenographer. 

Donald  F.  Jones,  B.S.,  Plant  Breeder. 

C.  D.  HuBBELL,  Assistant. 

Howard  F.  Huber,  B.S. 


TESTS  OF  SOY  BEANS  IN  1915. 

By  E.  H.  Jenkins,*  John  Phillips  Street 
and  c.  d.  hubbell 

This  Bulletin  is  a  continuation  of  the  study  of  the  soy  bean 
under  Connecticut  conditions,  which  has  been  carried  on  for 
some  years  and  has  been  described  in  part  in  Bulletins  179  and 
185.    It  presents  the  data  gathered  in  1915. 

Yield  of  Seed  From  New,  Unnamed  Varieties. 

Twenty  varieties,  chiefly  new  introductions,  as  yet  unnamed, 
were  grown  in  19 15  in  cooperation  with  the  Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  to  determine 
their  period  of  growth  and  yield  of  seed.  It  was  not  possible  to 
determine  their  yield  of  forage.  The  results  are  given  in 
Table  I. 

These  varieties  were  planted  May  26  in  rows  30  inches  apart, 
plants  standing  about  4  inches  apart  in  the  row.  The  calculated 
area  for  each  variety  was  250  square  feet  or  only  y-fj  of  an  acre. 
Soy  beans  had  been  grown  on  this  same  land  for  two  years  pre- 
viously, between  the  trees  in  an  apple  orchard  five  years  old. 
This  land  was  dressed  in  19 15  with  45  pounds  of  nitrogen  and 
95  pounds  of  phosphoric  acid  in  form  of  nitrate  of  soda,  acid 
phosphate  and  tankage.  No  potash  was  applied  because  of  its 
scarcity  and  high  price. 

Table  I.     Unnamed  Varieties  of  Soy  Beans  Grown  in  191 5. 

Yield  per 

Date  of  Days  to  Acre  in. 

No.  Blossom.  Maturity.         Bushels. 

37063     July    12  97  19.6 

36914     "       14  97  18.6 

36919     "       18  100  26.1 

36653    "     14  100  22.9 


*  Mr.  C.  D.  Hubbell,  the  farm  manager,  has  had  charge  of  the  field 
work  and  gathering  the  field  data,  the  chemical  work  has  been  done  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  J.  P.  Street,  chief  chemist,  and  the  results  have  been 
arranged  and  discussed  by  the  director. 


CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I9I. 


No. 

3691 5 
30744 
28050 
30600 
30601 
37062 
37571 
37572 
30594 
36916 
30747 
30599 
37573 
30746 
36829 

30593 


Date  of 
Blossom. 

Days  to 
Maturity. 

Yield  per 
Acre  in 
Bushels. 

July    18 

107 

24.1 

'      18 

109 

21.6 

'     20 

109 

19.3 

'      18 

III 

19-3 

'      18 

HI 

19-3 

*     20 

III 

29.6 

'     18 

III 

21.6 

'      18 

III 

28.0 

'      18 

114 

19.7 

'      18 

119 

23.2 

'     25 

121 

19.0 

'     20 

126+ 

31-2 

'     20 

126+ 

30.6 

'     20 

130+ 

28.7 

Aug.  12 

142+ 

19.7 

' 

'      15 

152+ 

.... 

The  last  variety  did  not  mature  seed,  being  killed  by  frost. 
Four  others,  marked  -f ,  did  not  mature  their  seed  uniformly  at 
one  time  but  it  was  dry  when  threshed  and  lost  no  weight  during 
a  month's  storage.  The  average  yield  of  all  varieties  was  at  the 
rate  of  23.3  bushels  per  acre.  No  comparison  of  the  yields  of 
these  varieties  is  attempted  because  of  the  small  size  of  the  plots 
and  lack  of  duplication.  We  are  advised  that  No.  30744  is  Black 
Eyebrow.  Fifteen  of  these  20  varieties  could  be  grown  for 
forage  and  even  seed  production  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state, 
and  fully  half  of  them  would  give  a  crop  of  forage  anywhere  in 
Connecticut. 

Report  on  Named  Varieties  Grown  in  191 5. 

In  Table  II  are  given  the  data  regarding  named  varieties 
grown  by  the  Station,  being  the  same  as  those  grown  in  1914 
and  described  in  Bulletin  185.  Quebec  92  and  Quebec  537 
obtained  from  Macdonald  College,  Quebec,  appear  to  be 
selections  of  Ito  San. 

Kentucky  is  a  mixed  variety  from  Manchuria,  grown  one  year 
in  Kentucky  and  one  year  in  Connecticut. 

The  beans  were  planted  May  19th  in  the  same  orchard  and 
with  the  same  treatment  as  those  already  described.  They  were 
cultivated  a  few  times  but  not  after  July  i. 


YIELD    OF    NAMED   VARIETIES.  5 

The  figures  given  in  the  table  are  chiefly  interesting  in  com- 
parison with  those  for  the  same  varieties  grown  last  year  and 
given  in  Bulletin  185. 

Number  of  Days  to  Maturity — The  number  of  days  to  matur- 
ity was  slightly  greater  this  year  than  last,  Hollybrook  and 
Peking  were  15  days  later,  Quebec  and  Arlington  10  days  later 
in  19 1 5,  and  the  other  thirteen  varieties  were  not  more  than  6 
days  apart  in  time  of  maturity  in  the  two  years. 

The  crops  in  19 15  were  perhaps  a  little  less  mature  when  cut 
for  forage.  They  contained  7.1  per  cent  more  water  than  those 
of  1914. 

Comparison  of  Average  Yields  in  IQ14  and  IQ15 — Further 
comparison  of  average  yields  follows,  based  only  on  those 
varieties  which  were  grown  for  two  years  until  harvest  without 
accident,  and  expressed  in  pounds  per  acre. 

Dry 
Forage.  Matter.         Protein.         Seed. 

Thirteen  varieties  in  1914    I73S7  S275  902  1438 

Same  varieties  in  191 5  16941  4056  739  1408 

The  average,  maximum  and  minimum  yields  per  acre  in  the  two 
years  (of  those  varieties  only  which  were  successfully  grown  in 
both  years)  are  as  follows: — 

Fresh  Forage.  Dry  Matter.  Protein  in  Pounds. 

Max.      Min.      Av.       Max.     Min.     Av.  Max.        Min.        Av. 

1914    10.6      6.5      8.6       3.1      1.6      2.6        1,116      624      902 

1915    9-9      S-9      8.4        2.6      1.3      2.0        1,001       475       739 

Nitrogen  in  Pounds.         Seed  in  Bushels. 
Max.      Min.       Av.         Max.      Min.        Av. 

1914    178       99        144        30.9       148      23.9 

1915    160       j6       119        29.0      18.6      23.4 

The  average  yield  of  dry  feed  was  about  1200  pounds  less  in 
1915  than  in  1914.  The  dry  feed  was  however  somewhat  richer 
in  protein  in  1915,  containing  about  18.2  per  cent,  whereas  the 
same  varieties  in  1914  contained  17.1  per  cent. 


6  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I9I. 

Table  II.    Yield  of  Soy  Beans  at  Mt.  Carmel  Field,  191 5. 


Data  regarding  yield  of  forage. 

Variety. 

0  >> 

0  S 

0 

^  0.  ■ 

Pi 

o.S  a 

■30" 

Yield  of  seed 
per  acre. 

per  cent 

per  cent 

pounds 

pounds 

pounds 

pounds 

bushels 

Ito   San    

Quebec  No.  537 
Medium  Yellow 
Quebec   No.   92 

Manhattan    

Kentucky    

O'Kute    

Ebony    

Medium    Green 

Wilson    ^ 

Mongol    

Morse    

Mikado    

Arlington    

Swan   

114 
114 
114 

*ii4 
114 
119 
119 
119 
126 
126 
126 
126 
126 
134 
134 
139 
139 
145 

78.55 

75-07 
78.58 
63.26 
78.82 
76.46 

73-07 
73-11 
73.78 
78.23 
77-93 
77-86 
73.98 
77.08 
77.29 
75.77 
75.38 

4.46 
5.70 
4.84 

9-51 

4.52 
3.87 

5.86 
5-42 
4-63 
4.24 
4.01 
4.20 
3-35 
3.63 
3-52 
3-09 
4.82 

17,249 

I4,9«5 
15,856 
5,672 
16,030 
19,863 
19,341 
17,076 
17,076 
19,689 
18,992 
11,848 

17,947 
14,985 

22,477 
14,288 
18,818 
16,901 

3,699 
2,736 
3,396 
2,084 

3,395 
4,676 

4,598 
4,592 
5,162 
4,135 
2,61s 
3,973 
3,899 
5,152 
3,24s 
4,560 
4,161 

769 

854 
767 

539 

72s 
769 

1,001 
926 
912 
80s 
475 
754 
502 
816 
503 
581 
81S 

1,313 
1,629 

1,307 
1,368 
1,246 
1,368 

1,594 
1,742 
1,237 
1,307 
1,464 
1,272 
1,316 
1,307 
1,220 

1,115 

749 

1,072 

21.9 
27.1 
21.8 
22.8 
20.8 
22.8 
26.6 
29.0 
20.6 
21.8 

24.4 

21.2 
21.9 
21.8 
20."? 

Peking    

Cloud   

HoUybrook    . . . 

18.6 

12.5 

/  17-9 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  average  harvest  of  green  forage 
and  also  of  seed  was  but  little  smaller  in  191 5  than  in  the 
previous  year. 

But  when  cut  for  forage  in  1915  only  about  three-quarters  as 
much  dry  matter  and  protein  were  harvested  as  in  1914.  The 
crops  of  green  forage  in  1914  contained  an  average  of  only  69.0 
per  cent  of  water  when  cut,  whereas  those  in  1915  contained 
76.1,  a  difference  of  7.1  per  cent. 

Soy  beans  have  been  grown  on  the  same  land  for  three  years 
in  succession,  which  may  account  in  part  at  least  for  the  some- 
what smaller  yields  in  1915. 

Comparison  of  Varieties — The  results  of  two  years'  tests  of 
those  varieties  which  grew  successfully  in  both  years,  indicate 
that  the  Wilson,  Ebony  and  Cloud  were  in  both  years  among  the 
six  which  yielded  most  dry  matter  in  the  green  forage.  These  are 
small,  black  seeded  varieties.  Cloud  is  distinctly  twining,  Ebony 
is  erect  but  falls  easily.  We  consider  Manhattan,  Arlington  and 
Kentucky  to  be  excellent  kinds  also. 


*  Past  maturity,  leaves  falling. 


COMPARISON    OF    SOY   BEANS,    ALFALFA   AND    CORN.  7 

Kentucky  is  a  mixture  of  similar  strains.  By  selection,  these 
have  been  separated  this  year  and  two  of  the  most  promising 
are  to  be  propagated. 

The  soy  bean  appears  to  cross  fertilize  sparingly. 

The  early,  medium  and  late  varieties  which  we  have  grown 
are  given  below,  and  in  each  group  the  varieties  are  in  the  order 
of  their  maturing,  the  earliest  first. 

Early  Varieties — Mature  in  104-118  days.  Quebec  92,  Quebec 
537,  Medium  Yellow,  Ito  San,  Kentucky,  Manhattan,  Ebony. 

Medium  Varieties — Mature  in  120-124  days.  Medium  Green, 
Mongol,  Mikado,  Peking,  O'Kute,  Wilson,  Arlington. 

Late  Varieties — Mature  in  130-135  days.  Hollybrook,  Swan, 
Morse  and  Cloud. 

As  is  to  be  expected,  the  earliest  maturing  varieties  yield  less 
dry  forage  than  the  others. 

The  latest  varieties  as  a  rule  yield  rather  more  than  the  earliest 
and  the  medium  maturing  varieties  have  been,  in  general,  the 
most  productive. 

Comparison  of  the  Yield  of  Feed  of  Soy  Beans,  Alfalfa  and 
Ensilage  Corn  and  of  Mixtures — The  tests  made  in  the  last  two 
years  fix  with  sufficient  accuracy  the  approximate  average  yield 
of  forage  which  may  be  expected  from  an  acre  of  soy  beans  cut 
when  the  foliage  is  still  green  but  mature. 

There  may  fairly  be  expected  at  least  8^  tons  of  fresh  forage 
having  the  following  composition:  For  comparison  is  given 
in  Table  III  the  average  yield  of  seven  varieties  of  ensilage  corn 

Table  III.     Yield  and  Composition   of   Soy  Bean  Forage, 
Alfalfa  and  Ensilage  Corn. 

Mature  Soy  Bean  Forage.  Alfalfa.  Ensilage  Corn. 

"2  t  ii  <«*.  t  ^<n    .  £  i3  «    . 

-S  c«"^  „-SS  en"*  c„SSS  „"*  „-SS 

gS  g^  g.^aS  go.  S.S?3«  g^  §.5Ppu 

Ph"Ph  a.  &4Ph  ohOh 

Water    73.0  12,410         

Ash    2.4  408         

Protein    4.6  782  602  1,360  1,006  559  347 

Fiber    7.9  1,343  604  2,276  956  2,223  1,423 

Nitrogen-free 

Extract    10.7  1,819  1,365  3,133  2,256  5,297  4,078 

Fat   1.4  238  126  167  63  159  121 

loo.o         2,697        6,936        4,281         5,969 

*  The  coefficients  of  digestibility  used  in  this  bulletin  are  those  given 
in  Henry's  Feeds  and  Feeding,  15th  Ed. 


8  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION    BULLETIN    I9I. 

grown  in  1914,  averaged  21^  tons  of  fresh  fodder  per  acre, 
and  of  a  year's  yield  from  a  measured  acre  of  alfalfa. 

A  mixture  of  one  part  soy  bean  forage  with  three  parts  ensilage 
corn  is  recommended  by  several  stations  as  making  an  excellent 
silage,  and  the  Ohio  Station  states  that  a  mixture  of  one  to  two 
may  be  used  successfully. 

The  composition  of  such  mixtures,  based  on  the  composition  of 
the  corn  and  soy  beans  as  grown  in  our  tests,  is  given  in  Table  IV. 

Table  IV.     Nutrients  (Stated  in  Pounds)  in  One  Ton  of 

Ensilage  Corn,  Soy  Bean  Forage  and  Mixtures 

OF  THE  Two. 


Protein    16.12 

Fiber    66.18 

Nitrogen- free  Extract 
Fat    


Nutritive   ratios    .... 

From  this  table  it  appears  that  the  three  to  one  mixture  has  in  a 
ton  13.7  pounds  more  of  digestible  protein,  and  2.3  pounds  more 
of  digestible  fat  and  a  much  narrower  nutritive  ratio  than 
ensilage  corn  alone.  The  two  to  one  mixture  has  more  than 
twice  as  much  digestible  protein  and  i^  times  as  much  digestible 
fat,  with  a  still  narrower  ratio.  At  a  time  when  concentrated 
feeds  are  very  expensive  it  seems  likely  that  soy  beans  may 
profitably  be  substituted  for  a  considerable  part  of  them.  This 
is  a  question  of  farm  economics  which  the  station  is  not  in  a 
position  to  solve. 

Note  on  Time  of  Planting — Our  experience  indicates  that  soy 
beans  may  be  planted  at  any  time  after  danger  of  frost  is  over 
and  that  a  slight  frost  on  the  young  plants  is  not  absolutely 
destructive. 

In  191 5  seed  of  the  Hollybrook  was  planted  in  small  plots,  each 
of  175  square  feet,  at  three  different  dates,  and  harvested  Oct. 
II.    The  yields  were  as  follows: 


One  ton 

One  ton 

One  ton 

One  ton 

mixture 

mixture 

ensilage 

soy  bean 

3  parts  corn 

2  parts  corn 

corn. 

forage. 

I      "      soy. 

I      "  !  soy. 

16.12 

70.80 

29.8 

34-4 

66.18 

71.10 

67.4 

67.8 

189.73 

160.50 

182.4 

180.0 

5. 62 

14.84 

7-9 

8.7 

277.65 

317.24 

287.S 

290.9 

I  :i6.6 

1 :3.74 

1 :8.98 

I  7.78 

SOY   BEANS   AS    GREEN    MANURE.  9 

Pounds  of  Pounds  of 

mature  forage         dry  matter  Pounds  of  Pounds  of 

Date  of  planting.  per  acre.  per  acre.  protein.  seed. 

May    5th    25,389  6,896  1,096  1,045 

"    15th    19,415  4,902  811  1,120 

"    29th    24,643  6,030  1,158  971 

These  tests  are  inconclusive  and  need  to  be  repeated  on  a 
larger  scale,  but  indicate  no  disadvantage  from  early  planting. 

^^03;  Beans  as  a  Green  Manure — In  some  cases  it  may  be  desir- 
able to  turn  under  soy  beans  as  a  green  manure.  Where  sown 
for  this  purpose  they  may  be  drilled  in  rows  seven  inches  apart,, 
which  may  be  done  with  an  ordinary  seed  drill. 

An  average  crop  of  soy  beans  such  as  we  have  grown  at  Mt. 
Carmel  in  the  last  two  years  may  be  expected  to  contain, 
exclusive  of  roots,  per  acre 

Organic    matter    4,255  pounds 

Nitrogen    131        " 

Phosphoric  acid   23       " 

Potash    93       " 

What  part  of  the  nitrogen  is  taken  directly  from  the  air  by  the 
crop  cannot  be  determined.  It  has  been  variously  estimated  from 
one-half  to  two-thirds  and  even  more. 

Recent  experience  indicates  that  it  is  wise  to  turn  under  a 
legume  crop  ten  days  or  two  weeks  before  planting  the  land.  If 
immediately  planted  on  land  filled  with  fresh  legume  forage  ger- 
mination may  be  retarded  or  prevented.  We  had  one  experience 
of  this  kind  in  1915. 

Results  of  Field  Tests  of  Soy  Beans — Accepting  the  offer 
made  in  Bulletin  185,  twenty-one  farmers  received  enough  seed, 
chiefly  of  the  Hollybrook  variety,  to  plant  a  half  acre  in  191 5. 

With  the  seed  was  sent  to  each  a  culture  (Farmogerm  from 
the  Earp-Thomas  Co.  of  Bloomfield,  N.  J.)  sufficient  to  inoculate 
the  seed. 

With  one  exception  all  made  report  of  their  results  to  the 
station.  One  was  prevented  from  making  the  test;  in  several 
cases  the  crop  was  practically  ruined  by  woodchucks  or  deer ;  in 
two  cases  weeds  suppressed  the  soys. 

One  reports  that  cows  did  not  take  readily  to  the  feed  but 
"the  soys  were  mixed  with  weeds  which  got  ahead  of  them." 


TO  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I9I, 

All  the  others  got  a  good  or  excellent  growth,  full  inoculation 
and  satisfactory  results. 

Some  of  the  reports  are  here  given  as  a  valuable  supplement 
to  the  work  in  our  experiment  field: — 

Harry  S.  Ferry,  So.  Glastonbury.  On  Sept.  14  the  writer  saw 
the  crop,  which  stood  38-40  inches  high  and  looked  very  vigor- 
ous. One-half  of  the  piece  was  cut  for  hay  but  it  moulded  in  the 
barn.  The  other  half  matured  seed  and  was  harvested  Oct.  23. 
The  estimated  yield  was  16  bushels  per  acre.  He  says  "My 
driving  horse  will  leave  his  hay  to  eat  a  small  quantity  of  the 
threshed  vines,  the  stems  of  which  are  as  large  round  as  a  lead 
pencil." 

Wm.  Coleman,  Westport,  grew  and  fed  it  successfully. 

W.  C.  Robinson,  Columbia,  planted  on  clay  soil  with  a  corn 
planter  June  ist,  and  cut  for  silage  Oct.  ist.  The  crop  was 
three  feet  high  and  the  roots  well  supplied  with  nodules. 

Thomas  H.  Williams,  Southington,  planted  May  28th  after 
harrowing  in  250  lbs.  of  acid  phosphate;  rows  2^/2  feet  apart. 
Sept  15th  the  crop  stood  44  inches  high  and  from  a  measured 
rod  yielded  150  lbs.,  which  is  equivalent  to  24,000  pounds  per 
acre,  a  very  large  yield.  On  Oct.  11  the  seed  was  harvested  but 
owing  probably  to  difficulty  of  threshing  he  got  only  9  bushels 
of  seed  per  acre. 

Albert  T.  Rowe,  East  Glastonbury,  writes : 

"I  am  satisfied  that  they  are  valuable  for  feeding  green  and 
a  good  soil  improver.  They  grew  very  rapidly,  had  nodules, 
some  of  them  J4  inch  in  diameter.  Planted  28  inches  apart  the 
vines  met  between  the  rows  and  showed  an  unbroken  green  field. 
Have  tried  alfalfa  with  poor  success  and  if  soy  beans  give  me  the 
satisfaction  in  future  that  they  have  this  year  I  do  not  think  I 
will  try  alfalfa  again.  The  only  objection  to  them  is  that  the 
stems  grew  rather  tough  before  I  finished  feeding  them," 

W.  H.  Brown,  R,  F.  D.,  Easthampton : 

"In  answer  to  your  inquiry  of  the  9th  as  to  soy  beans  I  beg 
to  say  I  planted  them  May  25th  in  drills  30  inches  apart  and  I 
commenced  feeding  them  to  my  hogs  July  24th  and  have  fed 
every  day  since  that  date.  The  hogs  like  them  and  seem  to  do 
well  on  them. 

I  think  soy  beans  might  be  a  remarkable  crop  to  grow;  in 
fact  I  think  they  have  done  remarkably  for  me  under  the  condi- 


FIELD    TESTS    OF    SOY    BEANS.  II 

tions.  I  planted  them  on  the  poorest  land  I  have,  sandy  river 
bank,  and  put  no  fertilizer  on  land  at  all.  I  cultivated  them  only 
once,  and  when  they  were  about  six  inches  up  we  had  a  heavy 
hail  storm  and  cut  them  up  very  had,  and  yet  I  have  a  good 
piece  of  beans.     I  think  they  will  average  about  three  feet  high, 

I  expect  to  let  part  of  mine  go  to  seed  so  as  to  plant  several 
acres  next  year  for  hay  on  this  same  land  where  I  have  never 
been  able  to  grow  anything  at  a  profit.  I  can  report  more  fully 
later  on.     I  live  just  across  the  river  from  Higganum  depot." 

J.  D.  Kelsey  &  Son,  Madison,  used  them  successfully  in  a 
young  orchard  for  a  corn  crop.  They  also  sowed  a  small  area 
broadcast.  The  beans  grew  well  and  the  forage  was  fed  green 
to  two  milch  cows  with  excellent  results.  "We  think  they  are 
great  for  milk." 

Orrin  Case,  East  Granby:  "The  soys  could  not  be  planted 
till  June  i6.  They  were  planted  in  drills  2  feet  apart  on  land 
quite  free  from  weeds  and  cultivated  once.  They  now,  Sept. 
15,  stand  over  4  feet  tall  and  are  very  large  and  dark  green  in 
color.     Pods  are  just  forming." 

N.  E.  Whiting,  Norwich,  planted  the  crop  June  2d  in  drills 
3  feet  apart.  On  Sept.  9  the  plants  stood  3^  feet  high  and  the 
lower  leaves  were  beginning  to  mature.  The  roots  were  covered 
with  nodules,  and  the  crop,  mixed  with  corn,  was  to  be  cut  into 
the  silo. 

The  following  very  interesting  reports  we  copy  entire: 

"About  one-third  of  our  patch  of  ^  acre  was  nibbled  off  by 
woodchucks  before  we  were  able  to  control  these  by  methods 
suggested  by  the  farm  bureau  agent,  Mr.  Wright.  This  hap- 
pened when  plants  were  six  inches  high,  but  these  plants 
recovered  and  made  a  fine  second  growth  of  tops. 

The  inoculation  was  perfect.  All  roots  were  thickly  covered 
with  nodules,  and  the  crop  was  a  fine  healthy  green  color  and 
made  a  sturdy  growth.  We  fed  a  small  area  green  to  some  six 
month  old  heifers  and  these  ate  the  plants  eagerly,  stripping 
the  stalks  and  eating  all  the  branches  except  a  portion  of  the 
main  stalk. 

We  intended  to  put  the  main  part  of  the  crop  into  the  silo, 
but  put  only  about  2^  tons  in,  as  our  silo  got  full  before  we 
finished  the  piece.     This  portion  was   cut  on  September   loth. 


12  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I9I, 

We  have  no  report  yet  on  the  feeding  value  of  the  ensilage,  as 
we  do  not  open  this  silo  until  about  January  15th.  The  ensilage 
looked  very  good  and  packed  nicely. 

We  did  not  touch  the  remainder  of  the  field  until  September 
22d,  when  we  moved  it  and  cured  it  in  cocks  for  hay.  It  was 
too  late  for  best  results  as  hay,  I  am  afraid,  as  the  stalks  were 
woody,  and  the  beans  were  almost  full  in  the  pod.  The  hay 
yielded  us,  by  weight,  after  curing  in  the  cock  ten  days,  under 
covers,- — loi  pounds  from  25  feet  square  plot,  or  625  square 
feet."     (This  equals  3^^  tons  per  acre.) 

"The  beans  moulded  slightly  in  the  pod,  but  not  much.  We 
fed  one  large  two-horse  load  of  this  cured  hay  to  our  milkers. 
This  was  used  in  the  stable  to  supplement  our  late  fall  pasturage, 
and  a  slight  increase  of  milk  flow  resulted  all  throughout  the 
herd.  The  cows  were  eager  at  all  times  for  the  hay  and  cleaned 
up  all  but  the  stalks,  which  were  used  as  bedding.  The  increased 
milk  flow,  however,  was  also  maintained  by  following  the  soy 
bean  hay  with  mixed  hay  rowen. 

The  rest  of  the  soy  beans  were  fed  out  of  the  cocks  to  the 
young  heifers  in  pasture.  They  would  all  come  running  down 
the  hill  to  the  fence  as  soon  as  the  beans  were  thrown  over.  They 
cleaned  the  hay  up  very  well  and  seemed  to  make  a  perceptible 
increase  in  growth  while  the  hay  lasted.  The  soil  used  was  a 
fairly  rich  piece  of  light  loam.  A  big  root  development  was 
made. 

We  were,  in  all,  well  pleased  with  the  crop,  and  will  use  it 
next  season  as  a  forage  crop  for  our  milkers,  cutting  it  earlier 
than  we  did  this  past  season. 

We  also  used  a  variety  of  soy  bean,  Harris's  Medium  Early 
Green.  We  planted  this  variety  in  the  hills  with  our  silo  corn, 
also  in  the  hills  with  our  Evergreen  sweet  corn,  for  forage,  and 
were  much  pleased  with  that  arrangement  and  also  with  that 
variety.  It  blossomed  and  formed  pods  earlier  than  the  Holly- 
brook,  and  although  its  height  was  less,  its  stalk  was  less  woody. 
We  expect  our  ensilage  to  be  much  better  because  of  it. 

We  are  convinced  that  soy  beans  are  a  valuable  crop  and  one 
that  can  be  grown  to  advantage  on  New  England  dairy  farms. 

We  consider  it  a  mistake  to  plant  the  soy  beans  in  rows  26 
inches  apart.  They  should  be  from  32  to  36  inches  apart,  so  that 
a  horse  cultivator  can  be  used." 


soy  beans  as  food  for  diabetics.  1 3 

Directions  for  Planting  Soy  Beans. 

Choose  land  in  fair  condition;  poor  rather  than  rich.  Liming 
is  not  essential ;  200  pounds  of  acid  phosphate  per  acre  may  pay. 

Inoculation  is  generally  desirable,  using  500  pounds  of  soil 
from  a  soy  bean  field  or  an  artificial  culture  which  can  be 
bought. 

Plant  at  corn  planting  time  or  not  later  than  the  first  week 
in  June. 

For  forage,  drill  in  rows  28  inches  apart,  plants  about  2  to 
3  inches  apart  in  the  row  and  cover  seed  about  one  inch  deep. 

Keep  weeds  down  by  cultivation  till  the  crop  is  a  foot  high. 

Cutting  for  soiling  may  begin  when  the  pods  form,  and  for 
ensilage  soy  beans  should  be  harvested  before  the  lower  leaves 
turn  yellow  and  drop. 

For  seed,  cut  or  pull  plants  after  all  leaves  have  fallen  and 
the  pods  are  brown. 

SOY  BEANS  AS  FOOD  FOR  DIABETICS. 

Following  is  a  very  brief  outline  of  a  paper*  by  Messrs.  J.  P. 
Street  and  E.  M.  Bailey  of  this  Station. 

In  recent  years  various  soy  bean  preparations  have  come  into 
quite  extensive  use  as  special  foods  for  the  diabetic.  The  soy  bean 
is  especially  suited  for  such  a  dietary  as  it  is  very  rich  in  protein 
and  fat,  and  furthermore  contains  only  traces  of  starch,  although 
analysis  shows  from  20  to  25  per  cent  of  "nitrogen-free  extract." 

The  form  of  the  carbohydrates,  however,  is  vital  to  the  claims 
of  special  value  of  soy  beans  as  food  for  diabetics,  for  starch 
is  not  by  any  means  the  only  carbohydrate  which  is  objectionable 
in  their  diet. 

The  authors  have  therefore  made  a  thorough  study  of  the 
nitrogen-free  extract  and  fiber  of  Hollybrook  soy  bean  seed 
grown  at  Mt.  Carmel  and  thoroughly  ripe  when  harvested. 

The  proximate  percentage  composition  of  the  beans  was 

Water 12.67 

Ash    4.64 

Protein    36.69 

Nitrogen-free  extract  and  fiber  31.08 

Fat    14.92 

100.00 

*  Journal  of  Indust.  and  Engineering  Chem.,  Vol.  7,  No.  10,  p.  853. 


14  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION    BULLETIN    I9I. 

The  analysis  of  nitrogen-free  extract  and  fiber,  by  methods 
described  in  the  paper,  yielded 

Galactan*    4.86 

Pentosan    4.94 

Organic  acids  (as  citric)    1.44 

Invert  sugar 0.07 

Sucrose    3.31 

Raffinose 1.13 

Starch    0.50 

Cellulose   3-29 

Undetermined  hemicelluloses    0.04 

Dextrin    3.14 

Waxes,  color  principles,  tannins,  etc.   (by  diff.)    . .  8.60 

31-32 
Galactan  from  rafifinose 0.24 

31-08 
The  organic  acids,  celluloses  and  waxes,  etc.,  certainly  cannot 
be  regarded  as  objectionable,  nor  are  galactans  or  the  pentosans 
generally  considered  dangerous.  This  leaves  only  8.15  per  cent 
of  "extract"  which  is  considered  objectionable  in  a  strict 
diabetic  diet.  This  is  less,  it  is  believed,  than  occurs  in  any 
other  unmanipulated  vegetable  products  having  a  considerable 
protein  content. 


*  Including  0.24  per  cent  derived  from  raffinose. 


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